#espardenyes

How they make espardenyes, the traditional Catalan peasant shoes. They have been the main shoes worn by peasants and the working class since the Middle Ages until well into the 20th century.

Three friends wearing espardenyes, the traditional Catalan shoes.

I’m seeing a lot of people talk about the shoes that the singer Rosalia has released with Nike. It’s a pair of trainers where the laces are tied up like with espardenyes.

Rosalia, who is from Catalonia, has explained that these shoes are inspired by her grandfather who always wore espardenyes. The shoes are called Air Force One Espardille, where “espadrille” is the French translation of the Catalan word espardenya.

Espardenyes were worn until recently by everyone in rural areas and the working class in cities, but nowadays it’s usually only older people who wear them every day, while younger people wear them on festivities or to do traditional dances, though an adapted version (usually with a high heel) is popular for women to wear in summer. Still, their popularity throughout history has brought espardenyes to be considered as the national Catalan shoes.

Who knows, maybe with Rosalia’s influence young people will start using espardenyes more again? Personally I wouldn’t mind, they’re very comfortable, and chilly for the hottest months.

The two most common types of espardenyes, the traditional Catalan shoes.

Since the middle ages to the 20th century, they were the shoes that Catalan peasants wore. Nowadays, some elder people still wear them everyday but they’re mostly wore for traditional festivities and dancing. Here shown in black, they are also made in other colours (most typically red and blue, but it’s also easy to see them in other colours).

Yellow “espardenyes”, the traditional Catalan shoes.

Red and blue espardenyes (the traditional peasant shoe from the Catalan countries) hanging outside an artisanal shop in a village of Els Ports, Valencian Country.

Trabucaire amb barretina, pistola i ganivet en algun lloc desconegut del Principat de Catalunya, el 1870. Arxiu Fotogràfic de Catalunya. [font]